A Teenager, A Gorilla, and an Assistant
by Sage McGavin
Summary: When the Gorilla sends Nathalie an unexpected text, she finds herself in a state of disarray. How will she, the Gorilla, and Adrien handle this uncharted territory? (rated T to be safe) (kinda edited by SageMcGavin created by Azuzulira via tumblr)
1. Chapter 1

**Pt. 1**

In all the time Nathalie had known the Gorilla, as Adrien affectionately referred to his bodyguard, he had always been predictable. She would even go so far as to say that he rivalled her own ability to stick to routine. Which is why when she was awoken by a text, at 5:30 in the morning no less, she was tremendously surprised to see it was from the Gorilla. After unlocking her phone, she opened his message. " _Adrien and I will be at your home at 7. Apologies for the_ _short notice."_

Nathalie looked at her phone in confusion. Perhaps in the delirium that is waking up she had misread it. Never mind that it was unusual for the Gorilla to text her at all, let alone in the early morning. However, the words refused to shift as she stared at her phone, so she finally responded, " _What_ " After waiting for about fifteen minutes, Nathalie was, again surprised to find that the Gorilla hadn't responded. In the few times they had texted he had always been quick to respond.

Understandably anxious, Nathalie pulled herself out of bed and made her way to the kitchen. Her coffee maker whirred to life under her groggy touch, beginning to brew her morning coffee. As the scent of hazelnut began to waft through the apartment Nathalie made her way to the bathroom, and stepped into the shower. As she washed herself, she focused on her thoughts. What had the Gorilla meant? Why would he and Adrien come to her home? How had

Gabriel allowed this? He certainly wouldn't allow Adrien out so early in the morning with the photoshoots he had coming up. Not even under the Gorilla's supervision.

By the time Nathalie had left the shower and gotten dressed for the day, she was still no closer to discovering an answer to the queries the Gorilla's text had caused. It didn't help that the Gorilla hadn't answered yet, despite an hour passing since she had sent her reply. She grabbed her coffee, sat down in her chair, and began sipping her drink. It was 6:45 by the time she finished her drink, fifteen minutes before the Gorilla had told her he would be arriving,

Adrien in tow. Since the Gorilla hadn't answered, she decided to text Adrien to see if he would answer her. " _Adrien, where are you and your bodyguard and what are you doing?"_

She didn't have to wait too long for an answer. Adrien's message was even more confusing to Nathalie, however. " _Gorilla's being weird. Won't tell me much. We're about to leave the Dupain-Cheng's Bakery. We have eclairs and macarons?_ " So Gorilla was being tight lipped with Adrien as well. There was also the matter of him buying Adrien sweets, which she knew meant Gabriel hadn't approved of this outing. She contemplated calling Mr. Agreste, but decided against it. She only had ten minutes until they were due, after all. She sent Adrien a message, "Your _bodyguard said you'd be here at 7:00. I will see you soon Adrien._ "

At 7:00 am, on the dot, there was a heavy knock on her door. She walked to the door and opened it, to the sight of a somewhat disheveled Adrien and the Gorilla, who looked no different than he usually did. Adrien was holding a sack, presumably the pastries from the

Dupain-Cheng's bakery, while the Gorilla had two suitcases, one in each hand. Baffled, she didn't stop either of them from walking into her apartment. "Nathalie, is there somewhere the three of us can sit?" The Gorilla asked, looking somewhat conflicted.

"What is going on? Why did you decide to drop by with Adrien? Why do you have suitcases? How did you know where I live?" Nathalie asked, finally prompted to find her voice in the confusion. She stared at him for a moment, and he stared back, neither speaking.

Finally, Adrien spoke up, "I'm kind of with Nathalie on this one. What's going on?" He too stared at his bodyguard, awaiting an answer

The Gorilla's resolve broke, and his expression softened, finally answering, "Adrien, please go sit down. I need to speak with Nathalie first."

"Is this something about me? If so, I think I deserve to know," Adrien refused. For once,

Nathalie agreed with his teenage rebellion, and stood firmly between her two guests and the rest of her apartment. She tapped her fingers impatiently, and the Gorilla caved once more.

"Alright," he said, and pulled out his phone. After a few taps, he turned his phone to face the two of them. A video was playing, a man's hand, sketching some kind of dress. It looked to be from the man's point of view, as if he were wearing a camera by his eye.

"Is that Mr. Agreste?" Nathalie questioned, only to receive a nod from the Gorilla. As she began to question why he had the video, the view rose up and turned around to face the portrait of Emilie Agreste. As Gabriel's hands found their ways to the buttons, and pressed them into place, Nathalie felt her throat tighten. She looked to the Gorilla's face, stunned to find a sadness upon his features. How was he anything but absolutely terrified at the secret he had uncovered?

Nathalie certainly had been when Gabriel had forced her into his fold.

Her train of thought was interrupted when Gabriel's voice called out, "Nooroo, Dark

Wings Rise," followed by a flash of purple light before the video suddenly cut forward by half an hour, according to the time stamp. The video was again dim and Nathalie could barely make out the butterflies in the air, fluttering to the ground slowly. "Another failure, Nooroo," Gabriel's voice cut through the darkness as he turned to face… some floating purple thing. As it began to speak, Gabriel cut it off, "I don't care what you have to say for yourself, Nooroo. I know you're holding my Akumas back. I'm cutting down on how much food you're allowed again, until you shape up."

"Master, I'm already starving," the purple thing, Nooroo, pleaded. Nathalie felt something well up when she heard the creature's defeated voice. Disgust, which mounted even further when she saw Gabriel break an already small piece of a stale biscuit in half, dropping it for

Nooroo to dive after. She couldn't say she was surprised though, as her eyes slid to Adrien. She recognized shock on his face, as well as anger. She felt a pang of guilt as she saw his white knuckled grip on the pastry bag. Nathalie definitely wasn't surprised at how Gabriel was treating

Nooroo.

The video ended with Gabriel leaving his lair and returning to his sketchbook. Adrien, was the first to speak, a thinly veiled fury in his voice, "He's terrible! He's hurt so many people!

He's hurting Nooroo! We have to tell Ladybug and Chat Noir, so they can stop him!"

"No. The police will handle it," the Gorilla commanded, "Now go sit down, while I speak with Nathalie." Nathalie felt tense, watching Adrien stare up at the Gorilla. When had Adrien learned to glare so fiercely? It almost reminded her of Gabriel. Eventually however Adrien broke his gaze, and marched defeatedly into her living room, leaving the two of them in the kitchen.

The Gorilla sat down, and looked at her. "Did you know?" he asked, visibly exhausted.

"No," Nathalie lied almost instantly, the guilt already beginning to gnaw at her. For a moment he almost looked like he didn't believe her, but then his face melted to one of acceptance. The Gorilla set his head down on her table, and for a minute Nathalie didn't realize he was crying. She sat down beside him, her hand on his back as the large man let his sadness take over.

"I nearly killed Adrien because of him," the Gorilla said, much to Nathalie's shock, "when he made me into one of his… minions!"

"It wasn't your fault," Nathalie said, still stunned by her coworker's break down, "You were under the Akuma's control."

"I dropped him off the edge of a building," the Gorilla continued, "When I saw the video, I was so scared. How could I try to hurt Adrien like that?" Nathalie could see the heartbreak in his eyes as he asked her, filling her own heart with pain.

"It wasn't you!" Nathalie doubled down on her attempt to calm him, "Everyone who was akumatized did things they didn't want to. If anyone is to blame, it's Haw-," she stopped, and decided to say it with certainty, "It was Gabriel's fault. Not yours."

"I know," the Gorilla whispered with uncertainty "but I was still so scared I had almost killed Adrien. I haven't slept well since. When I found out, it took everything I had to not beat

Gabriel. The only thing that kept me from doing it was Adrien. I couldn't have him think of me like that. I certainly couldn't leave him alone with Gabriel."

"How did you find out?" Nathalie asked, partially to distract the big man and partially out of curiosity. Even she hadn't been aware before Gabriel had told her.

"I used to be Special Forces, Nathalie," the Gorilla answered, like she should have known.

Perhaps it had been on his resume? "You learn to pick up things quickly," he continued, "There were some things that didn't add up. He was never where he was supposed to be during Akuma attacks, and nobody uses the bathroom for an hour and a half. I'm surprised you didn't notice actually." He paused just long enough for another arrow of guilt and doubt to pierce her heart,

"He's too tall to be Chat Noir, and I was pretty sure he wasn't Ladybug," he snorted with a bit of laughter, "which meant all I had to do was call in a few favors to get his glasses swapped with a special pair with a camera and confirm my suspicions."

Nathalie sat there for a moment in silence with the Gorilla, before her phone buzzed with a text from Gabriel, " _Nathalie, Adrien and his bodyguard are both absent. What were they scheduled for this morning?_ "

She looked at the Gorilla, and texted her boss back, "Adrien _had nothing scheduled until one. His bodyguard messaged me and asked I tell you they were going to the library so Adrien could meet with a study group for class._ "

" _A study group? At 7:30 in the morning on a Saturday? Who is he with?_ " The response was almost immediate, and Nathalie cursed herself for not thinking of a better lie.

" _The end of semester exams are coming up, sir,"_ she lied, not honestly knowing when

Adrien's finals were, " _It is likely they wanted to get in as much studying as they could. He is with_

 _Mr. Lahiffe, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, and Ms. Césaire._ " Nathalie hoped she was convincing enough.

" _Remind me who they are,_ " Gabriel commanded, and Nathalie was somewhat relieved. It seemed like he bought her lie. Thankfully, that made it easier.

" _Mr. Lahiffe is Adrien's friend who wanted to throw him a party. You were not fond of him. Adrien says he is very helpful with the parts of his music theory class that his piano lessons hadn't covered. Ms. Césaire is the daughter of the head chef at Le Grand Paris. She also runs the Ladyblog. She is very adept at language arts. Ms. Dupain-Cheng is very creative, and very helpful with the matters of history and social studies. She won your hat contest earlier this year, and also made that scarf you gave to Adrien on his birthday._ " Nathalie had never been sograteful to have been listening to Adrien when he talked about his friends as she was at thatmoment.

" _A 14 year old runs the Ladyblog? I was under the impression that someone more experienced was at the helm. I do also remember Ms. Dupain-Cheng now. She is a promising young woman. Remind me about her when she's old enough to become one of my interns. And do thank her for such a short-order commission. It seems like, with the exception of Mr. Lahiffe,_

 _Adrien is in excellent company._ " Nathalie gave a sigh of relief as she read his reply. "Gabriel just messaged me. I told him you and Adrien were at the library for one of Adrien's study groups," Nathalie informed the Gorilla.

"Thank you," the large man spoke, still recovering from his confession. He sat up straight and stretched. "That should make it easy to lie to him until the police arrive." The two of them sat there silently for a time. Nathalie was nervous, and could feel the Gorilla's nervousness as well.

"I think this is the most I've ever heard you speak," Nathalie finally said, only half joking.

The Gorilla was usually the strong, silent type, and his sudden talkative nature made her somewhat uneasy.

"Might be the most I've spoken in a while," he confirmed, "Just had a lot on my chest, I guess." The two of them returned to silence, which Nathalie felt just as uneasy about as the talking. Eventually, Nathalie stood, and made her way to the living room to speak with Adrien.

The sack of pastries from the Dupain-Cheng bakery sat on her coffee table, open, but Adrien was nowhere in sight.

 **Azulira: This is the first fanfiction I've written in a while, and the first one for Miraculous Ladybug. I hope you enjoy! I am already working on Part 2.**

 **Sage: Okay so before y'all chop off my head or report me for thievery; I am posting this here with the original author's written consent. If you'd like to see it straight from the horse's mouth he's posting the chapters on Tumblr under the username Azuzulira. (Taking full credit for getting him into the fandom to begin with)**


	2. Chapter 2

Nathalie heard the scrape of wood against tile from her kitchen, The Gorilla entered her living room a second later. She watched as his eyes darted around, coming to the conclusion she had but a moment ago. The bodyguard rushed to the window and stuck his head out. Although the Gorilla's large frame prevented him from getting his shoulders past the opening, such a feat wouldn't be impossible for someone of Adrien's size.

The Gorilla pulled himself back from the window and shook his head. "He must have gone right after he came in here. We need to find him," he said before quickly making his way through her home and out of her front door. Nathalie followed him down the flight of stairs to the ground floor and out to his car, parked just outside the doors of her apartment building.

Nathalie pulled out her phone as she got into the car and called Adrien as the Gorilla was pulling onto the street. "You've reached the voicemail of Adrien Agreste," a robotic voice tolled out almost immediately, "Please leave a message after the tone." Nathalie ended the call there, uncertain of what she should, or even could, say. 'Hello Adrien, your bodyguard and I are trying to find you after you jumped out my window to escape. Please tell me where you are so we can bring you back to my apartment while we wait for news your father has been arrested for terrorizing Paris.' Nathalie couldn't imagine that going well.

After a moment of contemplation she asked, "So what's the plan? What are we going to do when we find Adrien?"

"We get him back to your apartment and wait," the Gorilla responded, leaving Nathalie dumbfounded.

"That," she informed him, "is an incredibly poor plan. "We'd just sit in my apartment and what? Play checkers until the police call?"

"Adrien does like checkers," the Gorilla mused as Nathalie let out an annoyed huff.

"Plans have details," Nathalie told him, "Plans let you know what to do and how to do it. Look, let's just find Adrien. I'll come up with an actual plan." She chose to ignore his response and instead focus on the matters at hand.

"Why don't you want to tell Ladybug and Chat Noir?" Nathalie asked after another few moments of thought. The Gorilla had been adamant about the police handling the situation, denying Adrien's desire to tell the superheroes despite the heroes being more qualified for the task. "Answer me," Nathalie demanded when the Gorilla didn't respond.

"If Ladybug and Chat Noir force Gabriel's hand, there's no telling what he'll do! He's ruthless as a normal person, but as Hawk Moth? Backed into a corner with what he wants in front of him? People could get hurt," the Gorilla paused before adding, "Adrien could get hurt!"

"And backing him into a corner with the police will protect Adrien?" Nathalie shot down his answer, "He'll still be ruthless, and he'll still hurt whoever he wants to get what he wants! You have no idea how desperate he is!"

"Neither do you!" the Gorilla bellowed. Guilt attacked Nathalie once more in the resultant silence, piercing her with the truth. She knew exactly how desperate Gabriel was.

"You're right, I don't," Nathalie conceded, "but that doesn't mean he'll stop because of the police. He hasn't before." The Gorilla didn't respond, but Nathalie knew she had made her point. She turned to face her window once more, just in time to see the first drop of rain splash against it. Of course it would start raining now.

The Gorilla didn't seem to mind the rain as he parked in front of an apartment building and made his way to the door. Nathalie, however, was not so unaffected, wishing desperately she had grabbed her umbrella. The rain easily soaked through her outfit despite the short walk to the building's lobby and the cool temperature inside did her no favors.

"Nino lives on the fifth floor," the Gorilla explained once they were inside the elevator as he pressed the appropriate button. Nathalie acknowledged his answer to the unasked question with a nod, keeping her eyes glued to the door. As the doors slid open, she stepped forward, walking right into the very young man they had been looking for. Well, Nino, but close enough.

"Oh, sorry dude," Nino said, before seeing who he had bumped into. "What are you guys doing here? Is Adrien with you?" he asked, once he recognized the two adults. He pressed the button for the ground floor as he stepped into the elevator.

"Actually, that's why we're here. Adrien managed to slip away earlier," Nathalie responded, "We thought he might have come to see you."

Nino shrugged. "Adrien hasn't said anything about hanging out today," the young man answered, "He's probably out doing normal stuff. Just let him have his free time." A second later the doors slid open and hopped out, before stepping back in behind an elderly woman. "Wrong floor," he said awkwardly.

Nathalie saw fear leak onto Nino's face as the Gorilla's hand clapped down on the teenager's shoulder. The Gorilla did make for an intimidating figure after all. When the doors opened, the elderly woman left, entirely oblivious to the situation behind her, and Nathalie followed. Finally, the Gorilla steered Nino out of the elevator. "You're a good friend for Adrien," he said, surprising both Nathalie and Nino. Before either could react, the Gorilla pulled out a twenty euro bill, and handed it to Nino. "If Gabriel asks, you were studying with Adrien."

The Gorilla released Nino and made his way out to the car. Nino looked at Nathalie, clearly as confused as she was. "Is everything alright with Adrien?" Nino asked.

Nathalie contemplated her answer before responding, "It isn't my place to speak on Adrien's behalf."

"That's a first," Nino shot down her response, "What's going on? Is Adrien ok?"

"He's not in any danger," Nathalie responded, hoping she was correct, "but something has come up that may have upset him."

"What happened?" Nino insisted, "I'm his best friend, I should be there for him!" Nathalie searched for an answer, knowing Nino wouldn't drop the subject easily. Thankfully, she was saved by a ringing from his pocket. "Hey Alya, I was heading over," was all Nathalie managed to hear before she stepped through the door.

The rain had only gotten worse in the short time they'd been in Nino's apartment building, soaking Nathalie as she dashed to the Gorilla's car. Thankfully, the Gorilla had already turned on the heat in the car. While it wouldn't be able to dry them completely, it would certainly make it bearable.

"You gave him twenty euros," Nathalie stated, leaving the obvious question unasked.

"It was a bribe," the Gorilla answered, "so he'll tell Gabriel they were studying."

"We both know you didn't need to bribe him to get him to lie to Gabriel," Nathalie retorted, "In fact he'd probably pay for the opportunity."

The Gorilla was silent for a moment, before sighing and admitting, "I'm glad Nino's is Adrien's friend, and I wanted to give him something to show him that."

"Oh," was all Nathalie could think to say. She hadn't been sure what answer she expected, but it certainly hadn't been that. Choosing not to broach the subject further, she instead looked out her window, into the heavy rain. Nathalie doubted they would find Adrien easily in this weather, but she was looking for him regardless. "We could check Le Grand Paris. The mayor's daughter has been Adrien's friend for a number of years."

The Gorilla raised an eyebrow as he questioned, "Haven't you heard how Adrien's complained about her since he started public schooling?" She hadn't. Adrien hadn't mentioned Chloe much, if at all, since he began his schooling, now that she thought about it.

"Then perhaps the Dupain-Cheng's?" Nathalie suggested, "Adrien did invite Marinette to his next photoshoot, after all." The Gorilla nodded, acknowledging the suggestion as he continued to drive. Fortunately, Nino's home wasn't far from Marinette's, the drive taking them only a few minutes. The Gorilla parked in front of the bakery and stepped out into the rain once more.

Nathalie considered staying in to dry, but decided that without the heat it would be a futile effort. She stepped out and dashed into the bakery, passing through the threshold just before the Gorilla. "Good morning," called the woman behind the counter, who Nathalie recognized as Sabine Cheng, "Oh, back so soon? Where's Adrien?" she questioned the Gorilla.

"We actually came here looking for Adrien, Mme. Cheng" Nathalie answered on the Gorilla's behalf. The woman behind the counter rose her eyebrow questioningly, and Nathalie added, "He snuck out after getting some bad news, and we're worried about him. We thought he might visit Marinette."

Sabine frowned at Nathalie, but responded softly, "Adrien hasn't been here since this morning. I'll make sure to let him know you were looking for him if he comes by."

"Thank you," Nathalie offered and turned away from Sabine to leave the bakery, which is when she caught sight of a television in the corner. The Agreste Manor was on display, though a good portion was obscured not only by the rain but by butterflies as well. "Oh no."

The Gorilla turned, his eyes locking onto the television almost immediately. "Oh no," he echoed. They could make out a flash of red in the swarm, though it was quickly swallowed again. Then, Chat Noir burst through the cloud of butterflies, skidding across the concrete for a short distance. He took a moment to stand up, and then launched back into the fervor of battle.

"We need to go to the manor," they said in unison. Nathalie looked at the Gorilla, confused,but followed his lead as he left the store and got into the car. "Do you think Adrien went to the manor?" Nathalie questioned.

After a moment of silence, in which Nathalie almost repeated the question, he answered, "Yes." There was something in his voice that mildly upset Nathalie. A deep certainty in the statement, as if he had no room for doubt. It frightened her. But what terrified her was that Adrien might not only be in the manor, but that he might be in the fight. Would Hawkmoth, would Gabriel go so far as to akumatize his own son?

For Emily, he would. That is what truly sent a chill down Nathalie's spine. She sat in silence as the Gorilla drove, rain pounding against the window. It was a quick drive to the manor, with almost no one on the street. Everyone was probably watching the scene unfold somewhere indoors. When they arrived, Nathalie spotted several police cars, as well as news vans and even a few non-descript vehicles.

Nathalie felt compelled to get out of the car, moving to get a view inside the courtyard. It was almost a relief when she saw the black butterfly rise above the crowd. That meant Adrien wasn't akumatized, at least not now. She chose to believe that was a good thing. Then she saw the butterfly descend towards her, and her blood ran cold. She took a few steps back, but she was unsteady. Was Gabriel really attempting to go through with his grandest plan now?

"Catalyst," Nathalie heard him, almost like a whisper in her ear, "You have always been loyal to me, and I need your loyalty, now more than ever. Multiply my power, so that I may do what needs to be done, so that I may right what has been wrong."

It was easy for Nathalie to slide under the akuma's effects. She had thought it would be terrifying, her fear heightened and used to empower her. But really it felt more like her fear was ebbing, as if she was being insulated from it. She knew this wasn't true, but she couldn't care. It felt nice to not have to worry. "Yes, Hawkmoth," she heard herself say, before fading completely.

 **Okay! Second times the charm. Chapter two curtesy of my naggy butt not leaving Azuzulira alone. As always Azuzulira (tumblr) is the author and I am the medium through which he accesses this site. Thanks to everyone who reviewed to let me know there was a problem. Go forth and nag Azuzulira to finish chapter 3.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Once again bother Azuzulira on tumblr if you want faster updates. I am simply the friend who has an FFN account. Reviews are appreciated here but Im sure Azu would be grateful if you dropped a line on tumblr instead/too. Sage is out y'all, PEACE!**

Sometimes people remember a little bit about being akumatized. Bits and pieces of what they did. Nathalie was glad she wasn't one of those people. Her body, however, apparently did. Her entire body ached in protest as she brought herself to the edge of the stairs. Apparently, she had gone inside. "Hello?" she called out as best she could. A few feet away, she saw someone turn to her. She caught a glimpse of green before her legs grew too weak and she fell.

"Are you alright?" The person in green, who Nathalie vaguely recalled from the Anansi incident, asked her. She weakly nodded, and felt his arm wrap around her to help her stand. "Let's get you outside, ok?" She nodded, leaning onto the turtle hero.

The manor was in pristine condition, Nathalie noticed as they slowly walked towards the door. It was odd to think a battle, probably a large one if Nathalie's powers had been what they had planned on. "Is Adrien okay?" she asked, the thought of him being hurt, or worse, sending pangs of guilt and grief through her.

"Well, I mean, his dad just went from 'kind of a dick' to 'literally a supervillain' so I imagine he has a lot going on," Carapace commented, though Nathalie could tell he was biting his tongue, "But I didn't see him near the battle, so he probably didn't get physically hurt." Nathalie nodded, grateful for that. Carapace paused to open the door, and then led her outside, where other akumatized victims were laying or sitting down, being tended to by various medical professionals under the light patter of rain.

"There are... a lot of people here. Doesn't Ladybug usually have this kind of stuff fixed?" Nathalie pondered as Carapace helped her sit underneath a tree.

"I'm kind of new at this," Carapace admitted, "so uh... maybe? I mean, she definitely got all the physical damage fixed but I don't know about the other stuff dude." Carapace stood there awkwardly for a moment, obviously uncertain about what he should be doing. "I'm gonna go see what I can do to help. If you need anything me and Rena will be around." He waved his hand towards the main activity just within the manor's courtyard. Nathalie nodded, and then furrowed her brow.

"What about the other heroes?"

"Well, Chat took off right after everything was finished. Dude didn't even listen when Ladybug called for him. She said she was gonna go see what was up. And then Chloe..." he trailed off, and Nathalie nodded. No answer necessary. Queen Bee wasn't exactly subtle about only being there for the fame. Carapace shrugged and took his leave, trotting over to Rena Rouge.

Nathalie was joined a few moments later but the Gorilla, who sank to the ground beside her. They sat in silence for a few moments before the Gorilla spoke, "I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I knew he'd be desperate, and I should have known you'd be upset, but we still came here to find Adrien and he managed to Akumatize you and-"

"It isn't your fault. If he hadn't gotten me, he would have Akumatized someone else and nothing would have changed." It was another silent moment before Nathalie asked, "What happened?"

"You jumped into the fight. The butterflies turned red and then..." The Gorilla trailed off. Nathalie didn't need to know any more. So his plan did work, but he still failed. Nathalie wasn't sure if she was relieved or upset. She had supported Gabriel's efforts for so long, and now it was just... done. The finality was almost overwhelming.

"Do you think Adrien is alright?" The Gorilla asked, voice thick with worry.

"Yes." She didn't want to think about the alternative. Clearly the Gorilla didn't either, as he didn't challenge her answer. Of course Adrien was alright. He hadn't been at the battle when they got there, and he wasn't there now. He was alright. He had to be. Unless one of the akumas had attacked Adrien on its way to the battle. Ladybug's Miraculous Cure would have fixed that, right? But Adrien wasn't here.

Nathalie felt a sense of guilt weigh down on her chest. If she hadn't come to the battle, Gabriel wouldn't have akumatized her. If it weren't for her, Adrien would have been totally safe from Hawkmoth. Why did she think Adrien would head home when he knew Gabriel was Hawkmoth? He's not one for confrontation. "Maybe one of the heroes knows where Adrien is?" suggested the Gorilla. He was still worried too, then.

"Maybe," Nathalie agreed. She waved to grab the attention of Rena Rouge.

Meanwhile, Chat Noir sat on the edge of a roof, his back turned away from Ladybug as she landed. "Chat, are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine my lady," he responded quietly. He was lying, and they both knew it.

"It's finally over," Ladybug tried to prompt him, moving to sit beside him.

"It is," he answered. He hoped Ladybug couldn't see the tears in his eyes or hear the fear in his voice.

She could. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I always thought that," Chat took a minute to find the right words, "I always thought that it would feel different. I thought we'd feel satisfied. I thought we'd be happy. But..."

"I know what you mean kitty. This has been so much of our lives the past couple of years. Things are going to be different now."

"Do you think we'll still see each other?" He tried to hide the desperation in his voice, but he knew that he'd failed.

"I don't know," Ladybug answered, and Chat felt his heart clench a little. "Now that Hawkmoth is done..." she didn't need to finish the sentence. This could be the last time they ever meet. "We could finally reveal our secret identities!" Ladybug added with a bit of cheer. "I know you've want-"

"I don't think I'm ready," Chat cut her off, to Ladybug's audible surprise. "I'm sorry, I'm just... I can't right now." He stood up as his ring beeped, signalling how close it was to his detransformation, "I've got to go."

"Oh... ok," were the last stunned words he heard from Ladybug as he rushed away, finding an empty alleyway to collapse in as his transformation fell. He sat against the wall of the building with his knees brought to his chest.

"Plagg..." Adrien whispered, barely holding back sobs.

"I'm here," Plagg answered, pressing himself into Adrien's chest as Adrien began to cry. Adrien cried for quite a while, holding Plagg close to him.

"I can't lose you too Plagg." Adrien whispered through his sobs,"You're all I have." "I'm not going anywhere kid," Plagg promised.

"But Master Fu-" Adrien tried to explain, but was cut off by the kwami.

"Is old, for a human," Plagg answered, "He's not taking me away. You're my Chat Noir." Adrien began to sob harder, holding Plagg tightly. It was a few moments before Plagg spoke, "Hey, you should probably head somewhere so nobody worries. Why don't you go to that bakery?"

"That's probably a good idea," Adrien said as he stood up. Aftera moment he added, "Thank you Plagg. For everything."

"Don't be getting mushy on me," Plagg groaned, to which Adrien rolled his still-teary eyes. Adrien made his way out of the alley, careful to keep his face downturned so no one would spot him. Thankfully, Ladybug had stopped him near the Dupain-Cheng's, so it was a very short walk, made even shorter when he stopped across the street. He wondered if they would accept him, now that his father was the supervillain behind the akuma attacks that had terrorized all of Paris, and even their family directly. "Why did you stop?" Plagg asked.

"I'm worried," Adrien answered, "My father's, well, Hawkmoth. What if they force me out of their bakery?"

"Then I'll Cataclysm it," Plagg answered nonchalantly.

"Plagg!" Adrien seethed

"Relax, kid," Plagg tried to soothe the situation, "You're a good person, and they know it. They'll probably drown you in baked goods. Make sure to get some cheese bread." Adrien rolled his eyes, but appreciated Plagg's comfort nonetheless. He crossed the street and took a deep breath, before opening the door and walking through.


End file.
